The line for Jahlil Okafor’s autograph stretched around the corner and down Ocean Drive, while Robert Covington wandered around, taking pictures with eager fans, ice cream in hand. Inside Jack’s, respected Sixers veterans World B. Free, Darryl Dawkins, and Doug Overton served as guest bartenders to the twenty-one-and-over crowd, while the Red Hotts provided a lively musical backdrop.

Despite it being a couple months away from the season’s start, fans were eager and excited.

“This is amazing, how passionate our fans are,” Okafor stated, clearly impressed with the Beach Bash’s turnout. “I come from Duke, which has extremely passionate fans, and it’s the same thing in Philadelphia.”

Okafor aims to duplicate the success he experienced on Tobacco Road in Philadelphia.

“I have a lot of work to do to make them proud,” he said of the Philadelphia faithful.

The Beach Bash served as a great example of how the team continues to foster support throughout the community despite on-court struggles, while giving the New Jersey fans an event to attend right in their backyard.

Sixers fans have a lot to be excited about in the future, but yesterday they were having a good time in the present, too.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @therealmikeKB.

At this point in the process – a full 13 months since the 76ers selected Embiid with the 3rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft – no one seems quite sure what exactly is going on with the seven footer, and even less sure when we may actually see him out on the court.

Eighteen days ago, after several weeks of speculation and reports, the Sixers announced that Joel would be undergoing surgery on his troublesome right foot, likely within 7-10 days. He was by all accounts ruled out for the entirety of the 2015-16; his second straight full season on the shelf. Obviously that timeline has passed, and there is still no news about a surgery.

In fact, the only pieces of recent Embiid news came from a report via The Daily News’ Bob Cooney; a video by TMZ Sports and Tweets from 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil.

In his article, Cooney who claimed that sources told him that Embiid re-broke the navicular bone in his right foot. That is certainly more than the team revealed, and would seemingly be a pretty big deal is true. This report begs the question: How and when did he re-break it? The Sixers had no response to Cooney’s report.

On July 21st, TMZ Sports posted a video of Embiid and John Wall strolling around Beverly Hills after dining on Chinese Food at Mr. Chow. Embiid did not appear to be limping and was was rocking orange sneakers not a walking boot or cast.

Then on July 27th there was this brief exchange between mutli-site 76ers writer Derek Bodner and Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil.

I’m sure there are logical explanations on why the surgery hasn’t happened yet, but silence leads to speculation.

The Tweet from O’Neil provided little clarification on Embiid’s pending surgery, other than to indicate that the Sixers are performing their due dilligence. But a least someone in the organization communicated with the media and fans. O’Neil will be at the Sixers’ Beach Bash this Saturday in Avalon, so we’ll be sure to follow up with him then.

Like most things, the Sixers are keeping all of this under tight wrap. The organization has even taken some heat for sharing so little information. Media members have not been able to speak to Embiid himself since a conference call shortly after his selection by the Sixers last June. By rule, injured players do not have to speak to media members. His Instagram account however has a couple recent posts that don’t necessarily mesh with the prospect of sitting another season.

Joel’s positivity is promising, but the caption ‘Only a couple weeks away’ seems strange, since he is many, many weeks away from being able to suit up for the Sixers. What happened since that post that has altered the course of Joel’s return?

There are a whole lot of rumors circling around Embiid right now, and the Sixers aren’t providing a whole lot of answers. The only thing that seems to be certain is that we shouldn’t expect to see Embiid out on the court anytime soon.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @therealmikeKB.

This post is not going to chose a side in that Lakers vs. Bulls debate that has lasted all week (FYI: After 50,000 simulations by PredictionMachine.com, the Lakers were declared the better team as they won 64% of the simulated games.). Instead, this article will strongly suggest that an All-Time 76ers team comprised of — Allen Iverson; Julius Erving; Moses Malone; Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain — would defeat both the All-Time Lakers and the All-Time Bulls teams.

But probably not by 50 points.

Below is a look at the All-Time 76ers squad that would take the floor and bring home a win vs. either the All-Time Lakers or the All-Time Bulls.

Backcourt:Allen Iverson and Julius Erving

I will be the first to admit that this All-Time 76ers backcourt lacks a pure point man and that the Doctor is playing out of position, but given their Hall of Fame careers and amazing skill sets, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that Iverson (career 6.2 apg. average) will figure out a way to distribute the rock to open teammates and that Dr. J can adjust to the two-guard position. Hell, maybe Doc even plays a point-forward role on this team and Allen runs at the SG spot. It really doesn’t matter because with Allen’s ability to blow past defenders and Erving’s ability to soar over opponents, neither the All-Time Bulls or All-Time Lakers is going to stop “The Answer” and Dr. J.

(Editor’s note: 76er legend Hal Greer was also given very serious consideration for a spot in the backcourt.)

Frontcourt:Charles Barkley, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain

According to basketball-reference.com each player in this trio ranks inside the NBA/ABA Top 25 in career average for rebounds per game. Of course Wilt is No. 1 at 22.8 rpg. Moses (“Chairman of the Boards”) comes in at No. 16 with 12.2 boards per night and Sir Charles ranks 23rd all-time after grabbing 11.6 rebounds per game over his career. So I am not sure if the All-Time Lakers or the All-Time Bulls will get many rebounds in their simulated match-ups against the All-Time 76ers.

This Sixers’ All-Time trio also boasts the greatest center in the history of the game who once scored 100 points in a single game (Wilt); an undersized but extremely agile small forward who was one of the best ever and revolutionized the position (Charles); and center / power forward with low post scoring abilities that led to three League MVP awards (Malone). There is no way the All-Time Lakers or All-Time Bulls could defend this outstanding group of 76er bigs who by the way are all members of the NBA at 50 list.

You hope that, at some point, the kid can contribute, but unfortunately at this point we don’t know when that may be. In the mean time, the Sixers further fortified their frontcourt by selecting Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick in the 2015 Draft. Okafor, whose selection was viewed by many as Embiid insurance, is ready to hit the ground running, and will be the beneficiary of increased opportunity due to Embiid’s extended absence.

Okaforsaidthat his role is not impacted by Embiid’s status.

“It doesn’t,” he replied flatly when asked how Embiid’s being sidelined affected his role heading into the season.

“My role is to dominate,” Okafor continued. “I’m one of the centerpieces of the team, so my role is the same.”

While the attitude employed by Okafor is a solid one, and one you look to hear from one of the leaders of a team, it is not entirely true. If Embiid had been able to play this season, Brett Brown would have had to balance the minutes at the center and power forward spots between Embiid, Okafor, and Nerlens Noel. Embiid, touted by many as a potentially generational talent, would of course get an extensive look in his rookie season, which would undoubtedly impact the amount of minutes allotted for Okafor.

With Embiid sidelined indefinitely however, all of the minutes that would have gone to him are now open, and many will fall to the team’s newest prized pick. Noel and Okafor will almost certainly be the starting four and five, respectively, and the duo will likely get extensive burn together, as the organization is now forced to consider a future without Embiid.

Okafor and Noel project as near-perfect complements, as Noel is a dominant defender while Okafor specializes on the offensive end. Embiid aside, the Sixers might have their future frontcourt right there. (Of course, the hope remains that Embiid can fully recover, both for the team and for Joel, who is a great kid who is undergoing a very difficult situation).

Summer League provided a brief glimpse into what an Okafor-led offense could look like, and it was intriguing. Plug in some shooters that make defenses think twice about double-teaming the post, and suddenly it will start to look a lot better.

Okafor should have extensive opportunity to showcase his skills this season, which is exciting in itself for Sixer fans who are accustomed to having to wait to watch their prized picks play. How he gels with Nerlens Noel will be very interesting to pay attention to, and you just hope somewhere down the road Embiid can be added to that mix.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @therealmikeKB.

The highly anticipated match-up between Jahlil Okafor and Kristaps Porzingis — the #3 and #4 picks in Draft15 — never developed last night as Okafor played solid (18 points on 8-18 shooting), but not spectacular ball and Porzingis was limited to just 9 points. However, Florida product Scottie Wilbekin put on a show against the Summer Knicks that was something to witness. His watery jumper produced a 26 point outburst that so far is the highlight of the month for the Summer Sixers.

After the jump, a few observations from last night.

Scottie Wilbekin: You may recall that last summer Wilbekin ran with the Sixers in Las Vegas and could not find his stroke. To be honest, in Summer 2014, Wilbekin couldn’t hit the ocean if he fell out of a cruise liner. Well, the former Florida Gator is back with the Summer Sixers again this July and my how things have changed. Last night he posted 26 points on the strength of 6 of 8 shooting from three. He is now 13-for-22 (59.1%) from deep out in Vegas. Based on how well Wilbekin played overseas this past year and his performance at the Orlando Pro Summer League, his scoring outburst should not come as a huge surprise. In the past year, Wilbekin has played for Cairns Taipans of the NBL in Australia (same League as Jordan McRae played in) and AEK Athens in Greece. Wilbekin averaged 15.2 ppg. for the Taipans and became the first player in club history to win club MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season. At the OPSL he averaged 9.6 ppg. and posted a 15 point outing in which he was 5-8 from deep.

Jahlil Okafor: Again, I thought Jah played solid last night, but not great. Of course I think he could have posted a much bigger scoring night if the coaching staff had called his number more often. It was clear that Porzingis could not handle Jah’s physicality down on the blocks and when he did get the ball, Okafor made Porzingis look silly. My problem is that I would like to have seen the Summer Sixers go to Okafor on nearly every trip down the floor and force the Knicks summer squad to adjust. On the defensive end, Jah needs a significant amount of work, but we knew that heading into Draft15. He really struggled to guard Porzingis out on the perimeter and gave the big-Euro too much space to get his jumper off.

They Are Called Free Throws for a Reason: The Summer Sixers lost this one in OT despite shooting 43% from the field; 43% from three and posting a +3 in the rebounding department. A big reason for the loss was poor free throw shooting (14-23 — 61%) which is an ill that plagued the 76ers all last season. Leading the charity stripe brick layers union last night for the Summer Sixers was Okafor (2-7). Three players (McRae; Jackson and Tokoto) went 1-2 from the line.

You can follow us on Twitter @philadunkia.

]]>http://philadunkia.com/?feed=rss2&p=139821Summer Sixers GM3: U-G-L-Yhttp://philadunkia.com/?p=13970&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=summer-sixers-gm3-u-g-l-y
http://philadunkia.com/?p=13970#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 14:01:00 +0000http://philadunkia.com/?p=13970Jordan McRae scored 19 points, Furkan Aldemir was a beast on the glass, Jerami Grant posterized a defender and the Summer Sixers staged a gutsy comeback on Thursday night. Still, what really stood out last night was just how sloppy and slow the summer squad played for a large majority of their 84-78 OT loss to the Summer Jazz.

The Summer Sixers turned the ball over 26 times, shot 23% from three, committed 31 fouls, played horrific transition defense and in general looked very tired. In short, they were simply brutal for three quarters. A miraculous 4th Q turn around allowed the Summer Sixers put on a 20-7 run and grab a 74-68 lead. However, the Jazz refused to lose in front of the home crowd and outscored the Summer Sixers 18-4 over the final minutes of the game (regulation & OT) to post the win.

After the jump, a few observations from the final game of the Utah Jazz Summer League.

Jahlil Okafor: I’ll start with two positives regarding Hinkie’s 2015 Lottery selection. Okafor put on several moves last night that made me smile real wide. The one-hand bank shot after contact and the split of a double team, spin baseline and hit the floater were my to favorites. I have also noticed that Okafor manhandles the pill as if it were a Nerf ball. Not since Dr. J have I seen a Sixer cup the ball in one hand so often and look so secure doing it.

Now for the bad…First and foremost, Okafor looked very tired last night. That’s probably to be expected for an NBA vet during the third game in four nights of the regular season. However for it to to happen to a 19-year old during summer league play is a bit of a red flag for me. Secondly, Okafor (maybe because he was tired) appeared to have trouble moving former Golden Domer, Jack Cooley (6’9; 250) around the blocks. That doesn’t bode well for when Okafor faces real bigs in regular season NBA action. Lastly, Okafor turned the ball over 6 times last night and on a couple of offensive trips simply had the ball ripped from him (again, maybe because he was tired).

Jordan McRae: Again, no one is a bigger fan of McRae then me, but if he doesn’t locate his jump shot soon, he might want to start looking for an apartment in Newark, Delaware. JordyMac was 1-7 from three and 5-16 from the field. He did drain 8-10 from the charity stripe and score 19 points, but like the Summer Sixers as a whole last night, McRae’s performance wasn’t pretty.

Posterization: Jerami’s Grant ridiculous baseline flush in the 1st Q propelled the Sixer wingman to a very nice game. Grant scored 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field and was one of the few 76ers to display a respectable amount of energy and effort last night.

Point Guard Play: Despite 5 turnovers and only 3 dimes, I thought via the eye test that TJ McConnell (10 pts.) looked better last night. At times, the Zona product seemed to have the Sixer half court offense under control and his decision making in the pick and roll was improved. I still don’t think there is a spot for him on the regular season roster.

The Summer Sixers Are Slow: The number of transition buckets the Summer Sixers yielded last night (stats say it was only 15 pts, but it seemed like significantly more) was alarming. The first-five of Okafor, Aldemir, Grant, McRae and McConnell are disturbingly slow at getting back on defense. Additionally, this group is lateral movement challenged on defense and they made Bryce Cotton look like Stephon Marbury during his T-Wolves days.

You can follow us on Twitter @philadunkia.

]]>http://philadunkia.com/?feed=rss2&p=139703Iverson: The Ultimate Competitorhttp://philadunkia.com/?p=13962&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=iverson-the-ultimate-competitor
http://philadunkia.com/?p=13962#commentsThu, 09 Jul 2015 14:43:13 +0000http://philadunkia.com/?p=13962The back tab of the right Air Penny V displays a simple message:

‘The Storm is Over’

The epitaph is a nod to the fact that Penny’s career has passed, hence the storm being over. The shoe released in 2012, well after Hardaway’s retirement from the NBA, and served as an ode of sorts (It was clearly modeled after the Air Penny II – Penny’s most popular model).

The sentiment is nice, but realistically it probably would have been better-suited for Allen Iverson. Iverson blew through the NBA like an unprecedented, unrelenting tornado, felt by everyone across the league’s landscape. And, like some squalls of such magnitude, the storm that was Allen Iverson –the dominant NBA player –ended rather abruptly.

The League now lays in its wake; forever changed. Players look differently – tattoos and cornrows are now a common occurrence. They play differently – growing up LeBron James didn’t want to be Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. He wanted to be Allen Iverson. They even act differently- long before Riley Curry was a controversial staple at post-game press conferences, Iverson would occasionally bring his kids up on stage with him.

Despite his impact, Iverson spent the end of his career bouncing around a few franchises without finding a real role, or home, away from Philadelphia. It wasn’t exactly a fitting ending to a hall-of-fame caliber career, and it fueled widespread speculation as to why such a productive career ended so sourly; seemingly prematurely.

Upon his retirement in 2013, many true Iverson fans found themselves wondering ‘what if’. Iverson accomplished so much, but you couldn’t help but feel that he still had more to give to the game. Iverson himself spent plenty of time soul-searching, and reflecting on potential mistakes made, or things he could have done differently to alter the ending of his career.

The man known as The Answer didn’t get to where he is by dwelling on the past however, and he doesn’t plan to start in the post-basketball portion of his life.

Though it may not provide the same thrills as suiting up for the Sixers, Iverson is content in retirement.

“Me and my family are straight. I’m alive man, I’m healthy and that is the only thing that matters,” Iverson explained at the recent unveiling event for the 2015-16 76ers’ uniforms.

Over three years removed from his last played game, Iverson remains the Sixers most popular player – a title he may never relinquish – and an icon in Philadelphia: A line several hundred deep, consisting of all ages, stretched throughout the already-crowded King of Prussia Mall on Saturday afternoon as Iverson signed autographs inside The Sports Vault.

“I’m blessed,” he said.

The former Georgetown Hoya is staying active as an ambassador for the Sixers, and he recently inked a new endorsement deal with NBA sock supplier, Stance. He still has goals, too. Iverson recently told Bleacher Report that he is aiming to become a professional fisherman.

“I want to get good enough to compete with the best in the world and be on ESPN. I’m good right now, but I could be the best.”

The competitive drive obviously remains.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @therealmikeKB.

]]>http://philadunkia.com/?feed=rss2&p=139621Summer Sixers GM2: R U Furkan Kidding Me?http://philadunkia.com/?p=13947&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=summer-sixers-gm2-furkans-world
http://philadunkia.com/?p=13947#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 14:07:57 +0000http://philadunkia.com/?p=13947In Game 1 of the Utah Jazz Summer League, rookie Jahlil Okafor scored 20 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and a blocked a pair of shots, so it came as no surprise that all of Philadunkia nation was watching closely to see what Jahlil would do last night against the Celtics in Game 2 of Summer Sixers action. Okafor played solidly last night (13 & 9), but it was Turkish legend Furkan Aldemir that pushed the Summer Sixers to a 76-62 victory over the C’s.

Aldemir, who showed limited abilities in 41 games with the 76ers in 2014-15, scored 11 points (all in the 4th Q and thanks to 3 of 5 shooting from deep), snagged 14 boards and blocked 3 shots. In short, Aldemir was impressive and stole the show from Jahlil.

After the jump, observations from Game 2 of the Utah Jazz Summer League.

Furkan Was Impressive: I realize we are talking about summer league action here, so I am not going to get too excited about Aldemir’s play last night, but I did like what I saw from the Turkish forward. In limited minutes during his rookie season of 2014-15, Aldemir looked utterly clueless and completely over matched. Last night he displayed a skill set I did not know he owned — a very nice shooting stroke — 4 of 8 from the field (3-5 from three) as well as the outstanding rebounding ability that propelled him to the Association. The 76ers front court situation is very crowded right now. So even if Aldemir continues his solid play I’m not sure he will see much time in 2015-16, but it was nice to see some development in his game.

Okafor Watch: Jahlil gave his performance a C+ last night and commented that, “I thought I was better than I was yesterday, working on certain things that coaches were asking of me… rolling hard, spacing the floor, working better with [Furkan Aldemir], and building some chemistry.” After hauling 30 minutes on Monday night, I thought Okafor looked a tired at times (you rarely, if ever play on back-to-back nights in college). Still, I am very impressed at how polished his low post game is for a 19-year old kid.

The Sixers Have Length for Days: We all know that Hinkie loves tall, skilled players with long wingspans and he has pulled together a nice group of players that fit that mold for the Summr Sixers. Okafor; Grant; Aldemir; McRae and Tokoto all come to mind right away. However the lanky Summer Sixer that impressed me the most last night was Richaun Holmes. The 6’10 Bowling Green product owns a 7’1 wingspan and last night he used that Pterodactyl-ish reach to grab 8 rebounds and seemingly every loose ball. Holmes helped the Summer Sixers to a +20 rebounding edge last night. I also thought he displayed a very nice shooting touch, so I was a little shocked to see his final stats — 5-12 from the field and 1-6 from deep. Holmes is a kid to keep an eye on this summer.

McRae-ade: I have been accused of drinking the Jordan McRae Gatorade by the other scribes at Philadunkia and after what I saw the last two nights, I’m ordering another round. I admit that McRae has not shot the ball very well — 1 for 6 from three last night — but I believe that is just a temporary cold streak. What McRae showed at Tennessee, in Australia’s NBL and yet again last night is that he can flat out score the ball. The kid owns a scorer’s mentality and that enables him to be effective in the half-court or on the break. When his jumper starts clicking, I expect several huge nights from McRae. The lefty lay-in he executed on the break during the 4th Q last night was a thing of beauty.

TJ McConnell — Mehhh: I know that TJ was a +11 last night and +13 in Game 1, but I don’t understand how this 6-1 point guard who lacks lateral quickness is going to compete for a roster spot on the 2015-16 76ers. Yes, he owns a very solid skill set for a point man (His passing was excellent at Zona.) and overall was a very nice college player, but so far I have not found any one area of his game impressive at the next level. When you combine his lack of size and quickness with a shooting stroke that appears to need significant development, I don’t see Hinkie keeping him on the Sixers roster.

]]>http://philadunkia.com/?feed=rss2&p=139473411 on Summer League Inviteeshttp://philadunkia.com/?p=13908&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=411-on-summer-league-invitees
http://philadunkia.com/?p=13908#commentsFri, 03 Jul 2015 12:20:00 +0000http://philadunkia.com/?p=13908We all know after the NBA Finals conclude and the Draft is over, that the summer sports schedule is so thin that USWNT soccer games on Fox Sports are must see TV. That’s especially true in summer 2015 because the Phillies have been so difficult to watch.

But it’s time to stop complaining as NBA summer league action tips off next Monday and there will be plenty of 76ers basketball to watch in teh coming weeks.

Beginning July 6th, the 76ers will have a team participating in the Utah Jazz Summer. Then it’s on to Las Vegas where for the first time, the 76ers will have a squad entered in the highly competitive NBA Summer League. As a bonus, summer League action in Vegas tips off on July 11th with a contest against D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers.

After the jump we will examine the players the Sixers have invited to their summer league “mini-camps” as the franchise preps for 2015 summer league action.

Headlining Sam Hinkie’s summer league rosters invitees are well known entities such as 2015 Lottery selection Jahlil Okafor; 2015 second rounders JP Tokoto and Richaun Holmes; 2014-15 roster members JaKarr Sampson, Jerami Grant and Furkan Aldemir as well as others who have been with the Sixers franchise for some time such as Jordan McRae, Pierre Jackson and Arsalan Kazemi. Rumors are that the newly acquired Nik Stauskas will also ball for the Sixers in summer league action. If you read this site on a regular basis, you are well versed on those players, so we are going skip the refresher course and move on to some of the lesser know invitees.

Utah Jazz Summer League:

T.J. McConnell (#17; Guard; 6-3): The undersized Arizona prospect (The ‘Cats media guide lists him at 6-1) and 2014-15 finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will play in both summer leagues for the 76ers, so he’ll get a long look from Hinkie. As a senior TJ started all 38 games, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and team highs of 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals in 30.5 minutes. If you think back to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, you may remember that during Zona’s first two games of The Dance, McConnell played lights out basketball — 15.5 points and 5.0 assists per game.

Deonte Burton (#18; Guard; 6-1): After a stellar career at Nevada where he started 130 games and scored 2,000 points, Burton spent last year playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany’s BEKO Bundesliga League where he saw action in 24 games but posted unimpressive stats (1.8 ppg.). Burton’s eye popping stats are his a 40-inch vertical leap and 6-7 wingspan.

Derrick Marks (#25; Guard; 6-3): In his senior season at Boise State Marks was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America and Mountain West Player of the Year thanks to his stats of 19.4 ppg.; 50% shooting from the field and 43.6% shooting from deep. His 1,912 career points rank No. 3 all-time at Boise State.

Corey Hawkins (#30; Guard; 6-3): At the end of the 2014-15 season, the UC Davis sharp shooter was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (48.8%) and No. 7 in points per game (20.9) and was honored as the Big West Player of the Year. Hawkins scored 30 or more points twice last season, and posted that lofty mark eight times in his career at UC Davis.

Chavaughn Lewis (#40; Guard; 6-5): The 22-year old scoring guard out of Marist boasts a wingspan that measures 6-81/2 which we all know Hinkie loves. Lewis was a 2nd Team All-MAAC selection after last season and led the Red Foxes points (20.6 per); assists (2.7 per); steals (2.3 per) and minutes (35 per). He scored 30 points twice in 2014-15 and posted 35 points in a contest vs. Canisius.

Sam Thompson (#42; FWD; 6-7):One scout I spoke with described Thompson as, “a dunking machine”. The Ohio State product averaged 10 ppg. during a solid season in which he was pressed into a bigger role then he was probably ready for because of the Buckeyes lack of depth. If you recall, he had a fantastic NCAA Tournament game against Arizona (a loss) — 18 points on 6-11 shooting.

Jordan Riley (#3; Center; 7-0): The undrafted 23-year old out of Washington State averaged 6.6 ppg. on 53% shooting during his final season as a Cougar (He played 2 years at Iowa State). He started 47 games in his career at WSU, including 22 this past season. Posted career highs in points (17) and rebounds (8) during the 2014-15 season.

NBA Summer League:

David Laury (#7; FWD; 6-9): As a senior forward for Iona Laury shouldered the scoring load for the Gaels, averaging 20.1 ppg. He also grabbed 9.5 rebounds per game. Those stats placed him second in both categories in the MAAC and helped earn Laury 2014-15 Player of the Year honors in the conference. A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Laury is a very skilled big who plays more like a guard and shot 47.5% from the field this season. Laury had a very impressive showing at the 2015 Portsmouth Invitational and was named to the all tournament team.

Askia Booker (#27; Guard; 6-4): The Colorado starter averaged 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals per game over his four-year career in Boulder, but he is probably best known for the 43 points he hung on USC in a triple OT win back in January of 2015. That performance was one of the best individual efforts of last year’s CBB season. In 2014-15 he led the Buffs in scoring (17 ppg.) and was a 2014-15 Pac-12 All-Conference second team selection. He ranks No. 6 in Colorado scoring history with with 1,740 points. He performed solidly at the 2015 Portsmouth Invitational and has had a number of workouts for NBA teams.

K.T. Harrell (#43; Guard; 6-4): After a mediocre two year stint at Virginia, Harrell finished his college career with a very good two season run at Auburn. As a red-shirt junior, he started in 30 games and averaged 18.3 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. In 2014-15, he held steady at 18.5 ppg. while shooting 44% from the field. However his ability t0 hit the 3-pointer improved greatly last season — 43.4% in 2014-15 vs. 35.9% in 2013-15. Ohh yeah, his wingspan measured 6-9.5 at Portsmouth.

Jamal Jones (#45; FWD; 6-8): If you followed the 87ers this past season then you know Jones showed flashes of great scoring ability for the 76ers D-League franchise. However the former Texas A&M guard also proved that he still struggles with the 3-ball (33%) and is prone to defensive lapses. Jones averaged 7.8 ppg. for the Sevens and started 18 of his 46 games for the squad. For the Aggies in 2013-14 , Jones produced 13.4 points and 4.1 rebounds for A&M, draining only 37% of his 3-pt attempts (6.6 per game). In addition to A&M, Jones also played ball at Lee Junior College in Texas and Ole Miss. He’s another long and athletic wing player with developing skills that Hinkie has stashed in his D-League stable.

Vince Hunter (#50; FWD; 6-8): The news that the glass cleaning UTEP sophomore was declaring for the 2015 Draft shocked a lot of “experts” and NBA types. Yes, the former Julius Erving Award nominee (presented to the top small forward in the country) and First Team All-Conference USA selection was the team leader in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (9.2 rpg) and steals (1.2 spg) while shooting 52.6% from the field in 2014-15, but he struggled down the stretch of the season. Many thought Hunter should have returned to college for another year. However on the positive side, he did post 13 double-doubles overall last season and ranked among the national leaders in defensive rebounds per game (25th, 6.6 avg.), rebounds per game (29th) and double-doubles (30th). In C-USA Hunter ranked first in rebounding.

Charles Jackson (#51; FWD; 6-10): Tennessee Tech was Jackson’s third college in three years, but he sure did find a nice fit with the Golden Eagles in 2014-15. Jackson boasted stats of 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to go along with 57% shooting on FGAs last year and was awarded the Ohio Valley Conference newcomer of the year. In 30 games this past season, Jackson ranked eighth in the NCAA in double-doubles with 18. Leading up to Draft15 there was some talk of the athletic and long Jackson being selected in the late 2nd round, but he ended up going undrafted.

Steve Zack (#54; Center; 6-11): Typically a Philadelphia college product lands a spot on the 76ers summer league roster (see SJU’s Ronald Robertson; Temple’s Dionte Christmas; etc.) and La Salle’s Steve Zack is this year’s lucky local kid. Last season Zack was good for a near double-double every night for the Explorers — 8.6 ppg. and 9.2 rpg.

]]>http://philadunkia.com/?feed=rss2&p=13908176ers SG: Now Who ya Got?http://philadunkia.com/?p=13932&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=76ers-sg-now-who-ya-got
http://philadunkia.com/?p=13932#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2015 17:04:18 +0000http://philadunkia.com/?p=13932When I woke up this morning and read the 76ers news on Twitter, I laughed…I smiled…and I cried a little (for Vlade Divac). In the over night hours, Hinkiepalooza struck again. This time Sam fleeced the Kings of Nik Stauskas (fomer No. 8 overall pick in 2014 Draft); power forwards Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, a 2018 protected top-10 pick and the right to swap first-round picks in 2016 and 2017.

The Kings will receive the rights to two of the Sixers’ 2015 second-round draft picks — Arturas Gudaitis (47th) and Luka Mitrovic (60th).

Obviously this a tremendous deal for the 76ers as they acquire a very good shooter and numerous “assets” for the future. Still, if you dig a little deeper and look at the trade’s impact on the 2015-16 season, the move does create a log-jam at shooting guard — Jordan McRae, Stauskas and Hollis Thompson (2015-16 is non-guaranteed) if you dare.

So, who ya got?

C. Smith: I’m sticking with Jordan McRae. While I absolutely love the deal in its totality for the 76ers, I am not as high on Stauskas as many in Philadunkia nation. Yes, Stauskas is a 6-foot-6 shooter who played very solid ball over the final weeks of last season (banged home threes at a 41% clip in last 22 games; 47% in 14 games during March) and is still on his rookie deal. However, Stauskas is slow and lacks elite athleticism, is a defensive liability and can not create his own shot. In short, he is missing some key elements that a high quality NBA starting two-guard owns.

Now Stauskas may develop some or all of those parts of his game and become a much better player, which would make this trade and even bigger robbery for Hinkie, but that’s down the road some. So, he’s not my starting shooting guard in 2015-16. For next year the best thing about acquiring Stauskas is that hopefully his hot girlfriend Taylor Anderson will be down at the Center.

On the other hand, McRae (6-5 with 7-foot wingspan) has all of the above items in his offensive game and spent the last year working on his defense in Australia and the D-League. His size, athleticism and vertical leap combined with his ability to score the basketball from the perimter or at the rim make him a perfect fit to play shooting guard in the Association. Stauskas is a solid player with nice upside, but for the 76ers in 2015-16 McRae is a much better choice at shooting guard.

Jeff McMenamin: Sam Hinkie pulled off another Hinkie special last night, acquiring Nik Stauskas from the Kings, but with shooting guard Jordan McRae likely joining the 15-man roster for the 2015-16 season, suddenly the Sixers will have a decision to make regarding their shooting guard situation.

Philadunkia’s own Michael Kaskey-Blomain pointed out what McRae is capable of doing offensively and could potentially add to the Sixers roster next season.

“During his year with the Melbourne Tigers, McRae was the NBL’s second-leading scorer, posting an impressive average of 19.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was his team’s best offensive option, and he consistently demonstrated the ability to space the floor and also create for himself. Back stateside with the 87ers, McRae continued his offensive onslaught, averaging 18.9 points per throughout his 13 games with the team.”

Although impressive numbers, McRae will likely need to adjust to the NBA’s style of play and lifestyle before he can be considered a starting option for the team. I believe Stauskas will likely get the nod from the day he walks into PCOM.

Stauskas is just a year removed from being drafted with the eighth pick by the Kings, in a draft where he was highly touted by the Sixers and who most likely would’ve drafted him had he dropped to them at No. 10. He may very well immediately become the Sixers best shooter on the team, although he’ll need to take that title away from Robert Covington first.

Stauskas had his struggles last season for the Kings, averaging just 4.4 points in 15 minutes per game, shooting 32.2 percent from the outside. But as Derek Bodner pointed out, he showed a bit of life in the second half of the season, upping those numbers to 6.6 points in 19.4 minutes while shooting 42.1 percent from deep. He was a career 44.1 percent three-point shooter in college at Michigan.

A long shot to start for the Sixers would be Hollis Thompson, who has started in 64 games over the past two seasons at both the shooting guard and small forward positions, but who had somewhat of a disappointing 2014-15 season and whose contract situation needs to be figured out before the season. The Sixers have a team option for Thompson for the next two seasons worth right around $1 million. Thompson averaged 8.8 points in 25 minutes while shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. He’d be cheap enough to bring back, but his ceiling seems to have been reached as an NBA prospect.

But once again, Hinkie has been able to acquire assets for virtually nothing except taking on salary. Stauskas has the potential to be a lethal threat from the outside – exactly what the team was looking for.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain:Despite the addition of Nik Stauskas, I still see Jordan McRae starting in the shooting guard spot for the Sixers this season. Stauskas was a great pick-up, especially considering he was a guy they’ve wanted since before 2014 Draft, and they got him going into only his second season. He is a great piece to fit alongside Noel/Okafor/Embiid as he can help to space the floor with his shot. With that being said however, Stauskas still has a lot of developing to do, thus I think he will, at least at first, start out in a reserve role.

McRae is coming off of an entire season playing professionally overseas, and while he still has a lot of developing to do himself, he is probably a more polished player at this point. He can also bring more to the floor. Whereas Stauskas is a solid knockdown shooter, McRae can also put the ball on the floor, take it to the rim and create for himself, in addition to having a solid shot. McRae’s size and athleticism make him a prototypical shooting guard, as he has the potential to develop into a nice two-way player, something that is becoming increasingly valuable across the League’s landscape.

Jeff McMenamin is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @Sixersblog.

Michael Kaskey-Blomain is a scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @therealmikeKB.

C. Smith is the Editor of Philadunkia.com. You can follow us on Twitter @philadunkia.